Spotify Head of Podcast Business Sahar Elhabashi will depart the company at the end of 2024. Elhabashi, who helped grow Spotify’s podcast audience from less than 10 million to more than 150 million, will be replaced in the interim by Roman Wasenmüller.
Per Variety, Spotify announced the news in an internal memo.
Wasenmüller, who currently oversees international podcast operations, will step in to lead the podcast division while the company conducts an internal and external search for Elhabashi’s replacement. Wasenmüller has been instrumental in Spotify’s growing focus on video podcasts.
During her six-year tenure, Elhabashi shifted Spotify’s podcast strategy away from exclusive platform deals with creators like Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper, opting instead for broader distribution to increase audience reach and improve ad sales. Elhabashi first joined Spotify in December 2018 as VP of Content, later assuming responsibility for the podcast division after the departure of Dawn Ostroff in January 2023. She oversaw the Swedish streamer’s large-scale podcast department layoffs in June 2023.
Before joining Spotify, Elhabashi served as interim head of Condé Nast Entertainment.
Additionally, Emma Vaughn, head of advertising business development, will now lead global advertising and content business development for podcasts. Shilpa Rao will continue to manage podcast business affairs and contract operations, reporting to Vaughn.
Spotify’s podcast ad revenue has outpaced its music segment, with significant growth in impressions sold across original and licensed content. The company has stated it expects its podcast division to be fully profitable by the end of 2024.
